Learn about areas of recently announced temples in Idaho, Montana

Among the 34 new temples announced during 2021 by President Russell M. Nelson are locations in Burley and Rexburg, Idaho, and Helena, Montana. Following is information about the three cities and surrounding areas.

Groundbreaking dates have not been announced for the Burley Idaho Temple nor the Rexburg North Idaho Temple; a site location or exterior rendering has not been made public for the Rexburg North temple.

The Burley and Rexburg North temples will be the seventh and eighth in Idaho. The first temple in that state, in Idaho Falls, was dedicated in 1945; the second is in Boise, dedicated in 1984. The most recently completed temple in Idaho is in Pocatello, dedicated in November 2021.

Helena Montana Temple

• Second temple in Montana. The first is in Billings, dedicated in 1999.

• Ground was broken for the Helena temple June 26, 2021 — less than three months after it was announced in April 2021 general conference. It will have a single spire and be approximately 10,000 square feet, about the size of most of the Church’s 40 smallest temples, such as the Fresno California, Reno Nevada or Spokane Washington temples.

• The new temple will sit on a 4.8-acre site at 1260 Otter Road, north of the city limits in Helena Valley. The site had contained the Helena Montana Stake center. A new meetinghouse also will be built on the site.

• Helena is Montana’s capital city and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The county has a population of 70,973, according to the 2020 census.

• Montana is home to about 51,000 Church members in 13 stakes and more than 120 congregations. The western half of Montana has nine stakes; the first was organized in 1953, in Butte. The first branch was organized in 1895, in the town of Lima, between Butte and Idaho Falls.

• Helena is currently in the Billings (240 miles away) temple district. Some areas in western Montana are in the temple districts of the Cardston Alberta Temple (285 miles from Great Falls), Spokane Washington Temple (200 miles from Missoula) and Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (142 miles from Dillon).

Burley Idaho Temple

• The temple site is 10.1 acres at 40 South and 150 East in the southeast part of town, just west of state Route 81.

• The two-story edifice will be approximately 38,600 square feet, or about the size of the Cedar City Utah Temple, slightly larger than the Boise Idaho and Twin Falls Idaho temples.

• Burley is now in the Twin Falls Temple district, which comprises 16 south-central Idaho stakes. Burley is about 40 miles from Twin Falls.

• The city has two stakes; Cassia and Minidoka counties have seven stakes total. The first was the Cassia Stake, organized in 1887 in the town of Oakley. The first Burley stake was organized in 1919.

• Burley has a population of 11,704. Cassia and Minidoka counties have a combined population of 46,268.

Rexburg Idaho North Temple

• Rexburg, with a population of 39,409, is the county seat of Madison County, which has 52,913 residents.

• The city is home to BYU–Idaho, which last semester had 25,631 campus-based students.

• The existing Rexburg Idaho Temple is on 700 South, at the southeast corner of the BYU–Idaho campus. The temple was dedicated in 2008; the area had been in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple district. Idaho Falls is about 30 miles from Rexburg.

• The current Rexburg temple district comprises 27 stakes, including 15 married-student or young single adult stakes. Four of the 27 stakes are based in communities north of Rexburg.

• The first stake in Rexburg was organized in 1884.

More about temples announced around the world

See the Church News’ coverage of temple-related news, including upcoming open houses and dedications